Treebot Will Find You, No Matter How High You Climb

Climbing-capable robots have been around for a while now, but none accomplish the task quite like the Treebot. This inchworm-like automaton, built by researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, is essentially blind. It relies on tactile feedback from its front and rear gripping claws, rather than through a sophisticated visual mapping system, to tell where it’s going. While it’s slower to the summit than other robotic climbers, the Treebot is among the first to be able to successfully navigate complex branch systems. Well, there goes my Robopacalypse hiding spot.[IEEE Spectrum]